Gnarly Fields of Chill
⚡️ ACZC Happenings, 6/22 - 6/28 ⚡️
“Be nice to yourself, include yourself in that ancient twisted karma, allow for the inevitability of people just being people and how irritating that is, but then also how beautiful it is too.”
- Jordan Mylet
Hello Sangha!
Happy Solstice! We hope you are enjoying these lovely long days of summer. There’s something so nice about sitting your evening zazen while the sun is still shining, don’t you think?
You know what’s also cool? Sitting zazen under a full moon. The Strawberry Moon is tonight, for those of you paying attention, and we also have this very cool Full Moon Ceremony we do once a month happening on Sunday, and you can do it then, too! We’ll call it close enough. Join us online or in person Sunday at 7pm for one of our favorite Zen ceremonies (not that we’re picking or choosing or anything!).
And speaking of picking and choosing, this week on the podcast we are stoked to present Gnarly Fields of Chill (Twisted Karma) w/ Jordan Mylet. Jordan takes us on a guided tour of our ancient twisted karma – what it is, where it comes from, and what the hell we’re supposed to do with it. Are we better people when we’re not being good? Can we blame our parents for being our parents? Can we blame ourselves for being ourselves? Do we need more therapy or do we need more Zen? Find out here!
Up now at http://aczc.org/aczcpodcast or on all your favorite podcast platforms.
Your Kodo Sawaki koan/quote for the week:
“Some opinions have passed their prime and lost relevance. For instance, when grownups lecture children, they often simply repeat ready-made opinions. They merely say, “Good is good; bad is bad.” When greens go to seed, they become hard and fibrous. They aren’t edible anymore. We should always see things with fresh eyes!”
This Week in Zen! All times posted in Pacific time zone, all sessions hosted in person and on Zoom unless otherwise marked (email us for quick and easy Zoom access info):
Saturday - 6/22, 10am - 12:30pm
Sit & Discussion w/Emily Eslami - Our biggest day of the week! Two half hour rounds of zazen, one walking meditation in the middle, and then Emily is back to lead us in a discussion of some timeless dharmic wisdom. Come on out!
Monday - 6/24, 7:30pm - 9pm
Sit & Discussion w/ Mota Mynttinen - We’ll sit zazen for 30 minutes and then Mota returns to the hotseat to report back on his recent trip to Japan. In his words, “It'll be a bit of a ride, covering Toshoji, art, awe, ‘don't know mind’, frustration, uncertainty, the sacred and mundane, and more.” Gonna be interesting. Join us!
Wednesday - 6/26, 7:30pm - 9pm (Zoom Only)
Sit & Koan Discussion w/ Leon Sandler - Leon is back to lead us through Chapter 15 of The Zen Teaching of Homeless Kodo, which features a classic Kodo hot take about having opinions, which makes it…an opinion about having opinions! Sounds like great fodder for conversation. Come on out and chime in!
Friday - 6/28, 8am
Morning Chanting Service - This week we’re chanting Shitou’s Straw Hut Song, that idyllic ode to a good afternoon nap, and paying tribute to the male ancestors in our lineage. Poetry for the ages! Come on out and lend us your voice.
Tuesday - Friday, 7am - 8am
Morning Sit - One simple hour of what we do best - just sitting. Optional five minute stretch break offered in the middle.
See y’all soon!
Love,
ACZC